Shadows of the Night
by LeenaOfMirkwood
Summary: This is just a random fic I'm writing because I love LotR and the Inheritance Cycle. Also english isn't my mother tongue so I'm really sorry if there are any really bad mistakes. This is basically about Arya from the Inheritance Cycle somehow getting to Middle Earth and meeting the LotR characters. Also I really ship Legolas/Arya just so you know.
1. Chapter 1

Part one

When Arya woke up she was laying in a bed in a dark room. She couldn't see anything but the ceiling above her but she could hear someone breathe quietly next to her. She didn't really know where she was, what had happened to her or who was the person sitting next to her bed so she just lied quietly for some time showing no sign of being awake. But she eventually got tired of pretending to be asleep so she moved her head slightly to the direction from where she heard the breathing. She saw a silhouette of a man sitting next to her bed. He had long hair though Arya couldn't tell its colour. It was too dark for that. The man had been looking up at the ceiling but when he heard Arya move he instantly looked at her. Even despise the dark Arya could see that he had intensively blue eyes.

"So, you're finally awake. Good. I was already getting worried." He definitely didn't sound worried. "Now that you're awake would you mind telling me something about yourself? Now he sounded rather creepy. "Excuse me but why should I tell anything about me to a complete stranger?" Arya was sure she looked pretty freaked out. He must've noticed it because he started laughing. "Well I suppose I might have been a bit too harsh on you since you just woke up from days of unconsciousness. Actually you shouldn't and that's why I'm going to introduce myself first. I'm Legolas, son of Thranduil, prince of Mirkwood." "Well I'm Arya, daughter of Islanzadi, princess of Èllesmera."

Now that Arya knew she was talking to a prince she felt a little more comfortable because surely a proper prince would mean no harm to her but she still had one question. "Where exactly am I if I may ask? Because I'm sure I've never heard anything about you or your father or any place called Mirkwood." "Neither have I heard anything about you, your mother or the place Èllesmera, where you say you come from but I sure can answer your question. You are currently on the great river Anduin sailing towards the realm of Gondor and the white city of Minas Tirith which may not be so white any more by the time we reach it for it is currently under attack by Saurons orc armies." "So I'm on a ship?" Arya was still pretty confused. "How did I get here. The last thing I remember is that I fell into the sea from my ship and there were those really big waves and then everything suddenly went dark. I must've passed out then." "Well I suppose the waves carried you here. I found you laying on the beach unconscious and I just couldn't leave you there but we were already leaving so I decided to bring you with me because I had to be sure you were treated well."

Arya started to like the guy a bit more already but she still didn't completely trust him. "But I still barely know anything about you." Legolas was getting curious already. Arya decided that she may tell him about her for he had saved her. "I'm Arya, daughter of Islanzady, princess of Èllesmera as I already mentioned. I come from a place called Alagaësia. I'm an elf like you but I suppose you already noticed that." Legolas nodded. But Arya suddenly felt terrible pain in her left knee. She tried to sit up on her bed but failed. "What happened to my leg?" she asked. "Oh! I must've failed to mention that your left knee is broken. I cleaned and tied the wound but it might still take weeks until you can walk properly. Now Arya was irritated. "And you couldn't tell that earlier? I can fix it in a moment, just help me up." Legolas thought she must be hallucinating, I mean who could fix a broken knee in a moment but she still helped her sit up. Arya bent forward until she reached her knee and started undoing the bandage. "What are you doing?" Legolas was very confused and tried to stop Arya. "You can't take that off! You have a serious wound there, you'll bleed to death." "Oh really… I forgot, you're from another world. In my world we fix these minor injuries in seconds. Just watch." And Legolas watched. When Arya finished unwrapping the bandage from her leg she put her hands on it. They were immediately soaked in blood. That sure was a lot of blood but Arya wasn't really bothered by it. She just muttered some strange words and then said a single phrase out loud. " Waíse heill!" And suddenly her wound started closing until there was only a small pink scar left. All the blood was gone. Legolas stared at her eyes opened in awe. He was totally impressed.

"Well you surely failed to mention that you come from a magical land where everyone can use magic." Arya suddenly felt proud of herself. "It's actually quite simple." She said with a smile. "You just have to use your inner power. Every elf has it, you just need to learn to control it. And of course you need to know the ancient language. I can teach you someday, if you wish but right now I'd rather rest. I'm feeling quite tired already." "Yeah sure, go ahead. You need the rest but wouldn't you like to eat something first?" Now that he brought that up, Arya suddenly realised how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten anything for at least four days. "Yeah, sure." Arya said, her stomach growling. "I'll be right back." With those words Legolas hurried out of the room. He was back soon with a tray of fruit, bread and milk. "Well at least we seem to have one thing in common. We're both vegetarians." And they both laughed. Arya ate and when she was done she gave the empty tray back to Legolas who put it on the floor. "Well now I'm definitely going to sleep." "Good night! Call me when you wake up." Legolas left the room and Arya was alone in the dark. She tried to think about everything that'd happened but she was too tired and eventually fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

When Arya woke up it was still dark but she could sense that it must be daytime already. She sat up and was just about to call for Legolas when he stepped into the room only this time not alone. Another man was with him. He had shoulder-length dark hair and he looked more muscular than Legolas though he was a bit shorter. He was a human for sure. Arya could tell it from the way he walked. Legolas came to sit next to Arya's bed when the other man went to the window and pulled away the curtains. Suddenly the room was filled with light. Then he backed away from the window and stood in front of the bed. He looked at her. He looked somewhat kingly now standing in the light in spite of the worn clothes he was wearing. Suddenly Arya realised how horrible she must look.

"I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn and heir to the throne of Gondor." He had a deep voice. "I'm Arya, daughter of Islanzadi, princess of Èllesmera." She managed to answer with a shaking voice. "Don't be afraid. We mean you no harm." The man seemed actually quite friendly and kind though he looked so dark and dangerous. "We thought maybe you-" Legolas managed to say and then another man burst into the chamber. It was a dwarf with red hair and a long red beard. "So here you are, Legolas and you too, Aragorn. Why aren't you eating breakfast with the others?" And then he noticed Arya. "So this is the elf-girl? She sure looks pretty bad. Why don't you come eat breakfast, too? It wouldn't hurt you to get some calories. Oh, and I'm Gimli, son of Gloin." "Arya, daughter of Islanzadi, princess of Èllesmera." The dwarf was pretty sympathic. But Arya liked the idea of breakfast. She got out of bed, still dressed in her black leather clothes and walked across the room to a big mirror. She didn't actually look so bad but her hair was really messy. "Do you have a hairbrush or something?" Legolas handed her a wooden hairbrush and she started combing he long black hair. When she was ready she put the hairbrush on the dressing table. "I'm ready, let's go."

When they reached the dining room it was already filled with people. For Arya's surprise all of them were men. A man who looked pretty similar to Aragorn came to greet them. "I'm Halbarad of the Dúnedain." He was in all very much like Aragorn though he didn't seem so kingly. "I'm Arya, daughter of Islanzadi, princess of Èllesmera." Halbarad seemed pretty surprised but he didn't say anything. They sat down at the table. Everyone was chattering and Arya was just looking around. Most of the men were like Aragorn and Halbarad but some of them were different. Arya concluded that they were not the Dúnedain. For her surprise she could even spot two nearly identical dark haired elves. And then everyone fell silent and Aragorn started speaking.

"So maybe some of you have already noticed but we have a quest today. He pointed at Arya and then everyone looked at her. "This is Arya, daughter of Islanzadi, princess of Èllesmera." Everyone started muttering again. Arya thought they just didn't believe Aragorn. She remembered Legolas's reaction yesterday. Aragorn quieted everyone and started speaking again. "I know this sounds confusing but it's true. You've never heard of such people of places and neither had I until yesterday. So that's why I'm asking Arya now to tell us her story if she has nothing against it." He looked at her. "Um well yeah, okay. I will." And so she told them her story. "I come from a place called Alagaësia. I guess it must be somewhere across the sea from here because I was carried here by waves. My mother was the queen of all elves but she died in a battle against the evil tyrant Galbatorix who was later overthrown by my good friend Eragon Shadeslayer, son of Brom. I don't remember much about getting here, I only remember that I was thrown into the sea by a great wave and then I pretty much lost consciousness. When I woke up I was already here. That kind of sums up my story." When she finished everyone looked at her for one more moment. Then Aragorn started talking again. "Now that you know a bit more about Arya why don't we begin with breakfast?" And they did.

When Arya was finished with eating she walked up to the two dark haired elves and talked to them a little. She found out they were called Elladan and Elrohir and they were the sons of Elrond Half-Elven. Then suddenly Legolas came up to her and requested they go outside on this beautiful sunny day. And so they did. They went to the deck of the ship and Arya looked around. The landscape was very beautiful. She also noticed that they were in front of a big fleet. And then she remembered. They were going to war.


	3. Chapter 3

Part three

So they stood there for a long time, wind tousling their hair not speaking a thing just enjoying the silence when Legolas suddenly spoke. "So now we've heard some of your past but I have just comprehended that you still know very little of the world you've entered. So I consider telling you some if you want to." Arya had nothing against it so Legolas told him the most important things about the history of Middle Earth since the beginning of the first age and the establishing of Arda. Arya took in as much information as she could but eventually she still didn't remember all the details. Although she still understood so much more now. Legolas was a really good storyteller. He talked for a long time. It was almost sunset when he finished.

They stood again in silence but then Arya heard something. Like a distant raucous shouting. Legolas had also heard it. "What is that?" Arya asked, confused. Where could such horrible sounds come from. Everything had seemed so pure and peaceful. "Those must be the orcs. They're close. Too close. I didn't think we'd hear them until dawn. We must speak to Aragorn!" They hurried inside.

Aragorn knew those sounds. "From the way you describe them those must be the foul sounds only the orcs can make though I cannot hear them yet. They are still too far for my human ears. Still I think we should stay in this cove for the night and charge them at dawn." Legolas and Arya agreed so they announced it to the people on their ship and sent word to the others. The captain steered their ship to the land and the others followed. They anchored the ships there and went to the eastern shore of the river in smaller boats.

It was almost night already but Legolas, Arya, Aragorn, Gimli and some other men including Halbarad, Elladan and Elrohir decided to spend the night on dry land. They set up their small camp beneath a big willow but they were all restless because of the upcoming battle. Arya was the most nervous. They all had faced orcs before except for her. She had been to many small battles before but never against anything she knew so little of. So while the others talked she just sat there and listened. Finally when she got tired of listening to them she stood up and walked along the shore until she reached a small hill. She climbed on top of it and sat down again, thinking about tomorrow. Only she wasn't the only one there.

Legolas had already left them a while ago but no one had noticed. Now he walked up to Arya. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I could ask the same from you." She responded quite stiffly. She wasn't really in a talking mood. "I just came here to have some peace and watch the stars. I find them quite fascinating. Don't you think so?" And after everything Legolas had told her earlier this day Arya really had earnestly started thinking about the stars. About how they were so far away and their light was so cold but yet so pure. She really liked them. "Yes, I agree with you."

Finally Legolas sat down next to her and they looked at the night sky together still hearing the distant din of the orcs. Arya felt like she could be honest to him. "I came here to be alone and think. I'm a little worried about tomorrow for I know so little of orcs and fighting with them." Legolas looked at her in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me before? I could tell you quite a lot about that foul race." And he told her everything important there was to know about the orcs and even some less important things like how the orcs first came to be. Arya was really thankful when he finished. Now she was sure she could fight them and survive.

Legolas finally broke the silence again. "I think we should be heading back to the camp and have some rest." Arya agreed and soon they were back. Gimli was the only one still awake. "So where did you two go if I may ask? Oh actually I think I don't want to know. I'm quite sure already that you two were hooking up somewhere." Arya blushed but Legolas and Gimli laughed. "Don't take everything so seriously, elf-girl! I was just joking." He went back to bed and so did Legolas and Arya who soon fell to their elven half-sleep and silence fell onto the camp.


	4. Chapter 4

Part four

Arya woke up to someone gently touching her shoulder. She kicked out with her leg before she even knew who it was. She had been attacked by urgals in the middle of the night many times and old habits hardly left. When she felt her leg hit the target she sat up and opened her eyes, ready to fight whatever was coming but instead of someone attacking her she saw Legolas curled up on the land next to her, both hands on his stomach. Then she understood she must've hit him. She couldn't help but slightly laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Legolas asked. "It's not funny!" "I know, I'm sorry. It's just that I've been attacked many times during the night before and it was just a self-defence act. Anyway why are you here so early?" "I came to wake you. We got to get back to the ship. It's nearly dawn already." Arya understood they were in a hurry so she got up quickly and they started running toward the boats.

Arya and Legolas were the last two left on land. Everyone else had already gone back to the ship. They rowed back to the ship and climbed up a ladder. Aragorn was there, waiting for them. "So how did you sleep, sleepyhead?" he asked Arya. "Pretty good actually if it weren't for the orcs making noise all through the night. But now I'd like to have some breakfast if there is any left." Aragorn took them to the dining room.

When they had finished eating and went to the deck of the ship they had moved on quite a lot already and the cove was farther and farther behind until they turned around a crook of the river and then she saw it. A huge white city surrounded with a high thick wall. It would've seemed very magnificent in any other circumstances but these. Right now there were huge holes in the wall, the city was on fire, some parts of it destroyed and everywhere between the wall and the city there were holes and trenches filled with fire and legions of orcs along some southerners swarming between those. It was such a horrible sight Arya wanted to cry. Such a beautiful city destroyed.

Instead she just looked at all that standing in the front of the ship with Legolas. He'd seemed to have forgiven her what happened in the morning. Then suddenly she noticed something. A slight movement at the farther part of the city wall. She heard horses stepping and saw a glimpse of a green flag with a white horse on it. She had just turned to Legolas when she heard a horn blowing. And then the hidden army became visible. There were thousands of tall men on great horses and in front of them was their king. He was greatly armoured and his horse was as white as snow.

Then the herald blew the horn one more time and they attacked. Just then Aragorn ran up to them. "The Rohirrim have come! And not a second too early. This will distract the enemies for a while so we can reach them unseen." And so they did. They steered the fleet to land and landed near the harbour gate of the wall. All the men got off the ships and Arya noticed they were many. She'd imagined there'd be maybe two or three hundred but there were at least a thousand men. When they were all on dry land Aragorn and Halbarad trimmed their lines. Suddenly Aragorn started speaking again and everyone else fell silent. "You all know what evil you'll be facing today! Some of you have even faced it before but yet here you stand! You've come to aid those who've aided you many times! Let us not fail them now! For Gondor!" "For Gondor!" everyone echoed. And then they threw open the gates and burst into battle.

Suddenly the enemies were astonished. One moment they were successfully beleaguering a city and then they were under attack from both sides. But they still managed to gather up their forces and avert the attack. Soon they had gathered their forces and were ready to strike back but the attackers didn't give them the chance. They encircled the enemies and pulled the circle closer and closer in but yet still the enemies were able to break through. Arya couldn't focus on anything. All the things were just one big blur. She could barely kill the right ones.

Actually fighting orcs wasn't technically difficult. They weren't smart and they had only primitive fighting skills but there were so many of them that she just got tired after some time. She had long ago lost count over the foes she'd killed. She had just fought herself up to a small hill to get a better view of the battlefield when she noticed them. Big horrible something-between-a-bird-and-a-giant-bat things flying so high above the battlefield that only the most acute eye could see them. Arya was just about to find someone and tell them about those creatures when one of them opened its mouth and let out the most horrifying scream the world had ever heard.

Arya covered her ears with her hands and collapsed to her knees trying to get further away from that frightful sound. And then it was over just as suddenly as it had begun. She stood up and looked around. Everywhere the war was continuing as if nothing had happened but she could spot Legolas on a hill much like hers a bit further looking as she was feeling right now and Elladan and Elrohir standing motionless under the trees near the city wall. Then she understood. The humans and orcs hadn't even heard the scream for it was too far away for their mortal ears and that made her worry. Surely the creature had noticed their lack of reaction to its scream so it might come back and do whatever it was meant to do.

But she didn't have time to worry about it right now. There was still a war going on so she ran down the hill and into combat again. She fought and fought until the enemies seemed to lessen a bit but it only seemed so. They just moved to the edges of the battlefield leaving the field almost empty and Arya understood why. Yonder a great battle horn blew and some huge creatures carrying lots of people on their large backs came to view. Arya didn't know what they were but she found out soon enough. Everywhere the people screamed. "The Mumakil have come!" And the orcs laughed. They thought the Mumakil were undefeatable. And at first they were until a young rider called Èomer who'd ridden with the king of the Rohirrim found out that if you kill the person guiding the Mumakil it goes mad and most likely kills itself and maybe even some other creature.

They used that tactic and soon almost all the Mumakil were killed. But there were still some of them standing. The orcs were getting nervous already. But the men weren't doing so good. They were tired and hungry from the whole day of fighting. They wouldn't be able to continue much longer. If they won't finish this battle soon they'll eventually lose it. Arya decided to go for the Mumakil for she was an elf and had a bigger chance of killing them. She ran up to one of the giant animals and started climbing the arrows stuck in its leg to attack it from the place no one could possibly see her coming from. And she succeeded. Soon she was up and took the men on the beast's back down one by one. Finally she shot two arrows straight into its head and then it was dead.

Almost everyone on the battlefield had seen the Mumakil fall but Legolas was the only one who'd noticed Arya had killed it. And he decided to do the same. Together they climbed up the Mumakil's backs and killed them until there were none left. When the men noticed there were no Mumakil left they found new strength and continued fighting more eagerly. But they were still tired. Arya could see it in their movements. They wouldn't be able to hold back the enemies much longer.


End file.
